THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR MOM AND BABY V

What are some special micronutrients to pay attention to during the first 1000 days before birth? Last week it was Vitamin D.

The next critical player on the list is folate which was covered in a recent article earlier this year that can be reread at this link.

Next up is choline, a micronutrient that is poorly understood but the research is growing. Choline is a special player in human health as it is intricately involved in the development of brain neurotransmitters as well as turning on and off segments of our DNA. Secondarily, it is involved in fat metabolism. In children it is involved in memory development. (Zeisel et. al. 2009)

As with folate, choline is mechanistically involved in the prevention of infant neural tube defects. (Shaw et. al. 2004) However, the data is mixed on whether supplementation with choline helps to prevent these events, this it likely why it has not yet been added to prenatal vitamins.